Drying is the first technological operation during tobacco processing, which is carried out by the growers, that significantly affects the quality, flavour and aroma of tobacco. Therefore, knowledge of drying methods that are particularly suitable for large-leaf tobacco varieties is of the utmost importance. This paper reviews previous research on the possibilities of using different drying methods (freeze-drying, air-curing, sun-curing and flue-curing) and their influence on the chemical composition of burley tobacco. Burley is a large-leaf tobacco that is normally air/shade cured. The chemical parameters that have the greatest influence on the quality characteristics of tobacco, i.e. carbohydrates and nitrogenous substances, and the changes in their content were investigated. With freeze-drying as a control method, there is no loss of dry matter due to the low temperatures, which inactivate all enzymes, so that the carbohydrates and nitrogenous substances were also at their highest. By using atypical drying methods for burley tobacco, acceptable results can be achieved in terms of changes in certain chemical characteristics. After drying in a solar dryer, the pH, nicotine, total nitrogen and ash content were lower, but the total soluble sugar content was higher than air-cured burley. Drying process changes a chemical profile of the tobacco. None of the methods tested met all the requirements for the most favourable chemical properties of the tobacco after drying. It therefore makes sense to focus further research on the possibilities of combining different drying processes, taking into account both the quality of the dried tobacco and the costs of the drying process.
Radojičić et al. (Mon,) studied this question.